“You stole my snowmobile.”

Callie laughed. “That’s so lame, Stef. And it was me. I stole the snowmobile. I hate driving that damn SUV of Zane’s. It’s like he has to prove how big his penis is. It’s unwieldy.”

“The SUV. Not my dick, that’s completely wieldy. I wield it often and totally in her direction,” Zane said with a grin.

“Are you going to arrest me?” Jen asked with a laugh. “Because I think I’ll appreciate Bliss County Jail way more than where I woke up this morning. Zane was telling me Nate’s new admin, Hope, takes food orders for the poor people Nate tosses in there.”

“Stella and I split it,” Zane explained. “She takes the lunch orders, and I get anything after 7:00 p.m. You would be surprised what some really well-made fries can do to liven up a prisoner’s day. I make sure they’re hand cut. I figure if I feed ’em properly, maybe they won’t sue Nate. So far we’re good.”

Jen shook her head. “See, this is why I love small towns. No one offered me fries in the Dallas lockup. Though I did get a thorough body cavity search from a woman named Mildred.”

“That must have been horrible for you, darlin’,” James said, his hand stroking hers.

Stef felt his blood flare, but Jen moved his hand off her wrist.

“That’s sweet, James, but seriously, I belong to him. He might be too dumb to admit it, but he’ll do that thing where he starts a fight, and he’ll probably get his ass kicked, and then I have to listen to him whine.”

“I don’t whine.” What the hell was happening? He’d expected her to spit bile his way, not sweetly tell everyone she belonged to him.

Because she didn’t.

“That’s not what Max says,” Jen replied. “Max says you whine every time he kicks your ass.”

“Max lies,” Stef said. “And he doesn’t kick my ass. I hold my own. I have since we were kids. Let’s go home.” She hopped off the barstool. “Okay.”

Just like that? Where was the catch? She’d been the brattiest thing he’d ever met for a year and a half. Now she walked to him, placing her hand in his and turning her perfectly serene face up. Stef was at a loss. Did he just lead her out?

“Should we get your dad?” Jen asked, her hand squeezing his when she said the word “dad” as though she knew how conflicted he was and offered her support.

He found his fingers lacing through hers. “I left him in the front.” Her eyes scanned behind him. “Well, now he’s sitting at a table with Hiram and Stella.”

Stef turned and saw that his father was laughing, his head thrown back, his face more open than he could ever remember it.

“You’re going to have to talk to him, you know,” Jen said, her eyes narrowing in obvious concern.

“Why?” He didn’t have to do anything. As far as he could see, he didn’t have anything to say to his father.

“Because it’s the right thing to do.” She started walking, her hands still laced in his, forcing him to follow. “Leave him the keys. We can drive the snowmobile back. Somehow I think someone will take Callie home.”

She took the lead, pressing through the crowd, holding on to him.

She stopped in front of the table where the mayor of Bliss sat holding court with some of the town’s older residents.

“Good evening, Sebastian,” Jen said with a sunny smile on her face.

His father’s smile was slightly tight, as though he didn’t approve.

“Jennifer.”

If it bothered Jennifer, she didn’t show it. “Please, only Stef ever calls me Jennifer. My friends call me Jen.” One eyebrow cocked up. “Stefan isn’t your friend?” Her hand squeezed his as she replied with a little laugh. “Stef is just a complete coward. Calling me Jennifer is his way of distancing himself. You’ll note he doesn’t run around calling Max Maxwell or Rye Ryan. It’s okay. We’re going to work on the problem.”

“Jennifer.” He bit out her name between clenched teeth. She was pushing him. Why?

Her hand came up and rubbed across his chest. “It’s all right. No one thinks less of you, Stef. Everyone gets scared. Now, give your dad the keys, and I’ll get my coat and meet you outside.” She released his hand and strode off toward the front of the tavern.

Coward? She’d called him a coward, in front of his father.

“Now, Stef, you need to take a break and think about what you’re going to do next,” Stella said sternly.

“I’m going to blister her backside. That’s what I’m going to do.” Stella’s relief was obvious in the relaxed line of her mouth. “Oh, good. I thought you were going to do something stupid.”

“Stella, how can you say that?” Sebastian slapped a palm on the table. “I might not like the girl, but I certainly don’t want my son to inflict injury on her.”

Stella’s eyes rolled. “You’ve turned into an old man. Stef, don’t listen to him. I knew your father when he was younger. He wasn’t always a dried-up old prude. And listen here, Sebastian. That girl is the best thing to ever happen to your son, and one day he’ll wake up and see it. Maybe, if he’s smarter than his father, he’ll reach out and grab her. Maybe he won’t wait twenty years, because let me tell you, if he does, she won’t be sitting around waiting for him.” Stella pushed out of the booth and strode away. Stef could have sworn he saw tears in her eyes. The crowd swallowed her up.

Hiram put a wrinkled hand on Sebastian’s shoulder. “That was to be expected. Let’s have a beer. I’ve missed you, old friend. Let me tell you about all the craziness around here. These young folks are very entertaining.”

Stef shook his head and turned from the sight of his father and the elderly mayor of Bliss. It struck him suddenly that his father had a life here at one time. He’d lived here and built the manor house and the guesthouse. He’d been a part of Bliss. He’d seemed happy here and always spoke of it with an obvious fondness. Why had he left?

Because people left. That was what they did. His mother had left.

His father had left. Jennifer had left. People picked up and left when he became difficult, and he couldn’t quite figure out how to not be difficult.

He didn’t like the direction of his thoughts. It made his stomach twist and turn. It was easier to focus on the fact that Jennifer had defied direct orders. He was responsible for her. He’d signed papers that made him accountable for her behavior. She’d been in jail. She’d left Bliss, and not six months later she was involved with some very unsavory people. The minute she got back, she started looking for more unsavory people. Stef pushed his way through the crowd, scowling at anyone in his way. He was satisfied with the way they started to make room for him, as though no one wanted to get too close. He found her at the door, talking to Logan Green, Nate’s deputy sheriff. She laughed at something he said and gave him a big hug that seemed like it lasted far too long. Logan was about Jennifer’s age, just a tiny bit younger. He was far more suitable for her than a thirty-two-year-old man.

“Beat it, Logan,” Stef growled as he got close enough to be heard.

His dick didn’t care who was more age appropriate. “Go find Hope and bug her.”

Hope was the new receptionist at the Sheriff’s Office. Logan spent an enormous amount of his time flirting with the slightly older woman.

Logan’s eyes flared briefly, but he obviously got the point. He headed straight to the bar.

“Very friendly, Stef,” Jen said, shaking her head at him.

A nasty little impulse clutched his gut. He took Jennifer by the arm and led her down the narrow hallway toward the small office Zane kept.

“Hey, I thought we were heading home,” she protested as she struggled to keep up with him.

“I have a few things to say to you,” he ground out. He punched in the code for the door and the lock gave way. It was a good thing Zane was so predictable. Callie’s birthday was something he knew by heart.

“Don’t,” Jennifer said softly as he closed the door behind her.

They were locked in together. Stef couldn’t miss just how intimate the little room was. It was the first time he’d gotten her alone since she’d been back. No, it was the first time he’d allowed himself to be alone with her. He was in control. She was an artist he liked. She was too talented to be allowed to waste it all. That was why he was here.

That was why he had gone to Dallas.

Then why had he bought her flowers on that day when she’d left?

A little voice was sighing in his head. Why had he been ready to apologize and ask to start over? Why had he told Lana he couldn’t see her anymore? Why hadn’t he been to the BDSM club in Denver in months? Why had he turned down invitations to play parties?

Stef really hated that fucking voice.

“What do you think you’re doing?” he heard himself ask. He turned on her, though the small room didn’t allow much distance between them.

“I am begging you not to do this, Stef,” she said, her fists clenched at her sides. “I am trying really hard to get along with you.

I’m trying to be understanding.”

“Really? What are you trying to understand, love?”

“Why you act like such an ass,” she said and then groaned. “See, I did not mean to say that. I meant to be sweet.”

“Tell me something, did you mean to drape yourself all over James Glen?” Stef felt his hands twitching. She was so close. He could smell her. She’d taken a shower at some point, and her hair smelled like citrus. God, he loved that smell. She always smelled sweet, with just a hint of bite underneath. She was a juicy grapefruit who just needed a little sugar. His cock ached. He was so hard he could pound nails.

Her eyes became wide orbs in the low light. “What are you talking about? I never touched him. He was just being friendly.”